29 



rostral, anterior upper labials and a few lower labials deeply 

 pitted; eye with vertical pupil; praemaxillary without teeth; 

 anterior teeth large, posterior small. Body a little compressed, 

 covered with small, smooth scales. Tail moderate, prehensile; 

 Subcaudals in two rows. 



Distribution. New Guinea; Aru Islands. 



A single species. 



I. Chondropython viridis (Schlegel). 



Python viridis^ Schlegel, Dierentuin, Rept. 1872, p. 54. 

 Chondropython viridis^ Boulenger, Cat. Sn. I 1893, p. 90 (s. syn.). 



Rostral as broad as deep, or a little more narrow than deep; a 

 pair of nasals and a pair of internasals; head covered with small 

 scales, 17 — 20 from eye to eye on the forehead; scales round the 

 eye not larger than the others; twelve to fifteen upper labials, 

 two or three anterior pitted ; sixth to eighth or eighth and 

 ninth entering the eye; seventh to twelfth, eighth to thirteenth, 

 or ninth to fourteenth lower labials pitted. Scales in 57 — 65 

 rows; ventrals 227 — 254; anal entire; subcaudals 68 — 129. 



Green above, uniform or with small yellow spots along the 

 back; or red with bluish, black-edged spots. Lower surface 

 whitish or yellowish. Young specimens pinkish or yellow, with 

 red Of red-brown markings or rust-brown with sulphurous 

 spots. A young specimen from the Lorentz river, S. New Guinea 

 showed the following colours: reddish-brown above; a narrow 

 dark line from the nape to the tail not broader than one 

 scale; on each side of this line a series of triangular yellow 

 spots, bordered with brown, most of them alternating; along 

 each side of the body a series of small yellow spots, covering 

 about three or four scales; on each side of the head a line 

 from the nostril to the temporal region, passing through the 

 eye; two yellow spots between the eyes; on the occiput a 

 I j-shaped band; just behind the head an elongate yellow 

 spot, bordered with brown; tail with dark brown transverse 

 lines. Length of head and body 1250 mm.; tail 200 mm. 



Nom. indig. : Yamomong (German New Guinea). 



Type-specimen examined in the Leiden Museum. 



Habitat: Aru Lslands! (Manumbai on Kobroor); New Guinea 

 (Jobi, Mafoor, Mt. Arfak, Mansinam, Andai!, Humboldt Bay!, 

 lake Sentani, Mimika-, Setekwa- and Lorentz! rivers, Eitape, 



